Since the beginning of music and the dawn of musical composition there has always been a demand for low-pitched instruments. In nearly all modern musical arrangements the most desired instrument is a bass guitar.
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument which usually has four strings and is often tuned one octave lower than a regular guitar, although obviously many tuning configurations are possible. Another difference between bass guitars and regular guitars is the fact that some bass guitarists prefer to remove the frets from the necks of their instruments. This fretless variation was first used on a bass guitar, but many guitar players are now following suit. Bass guitars may be either electric or acoustic, but electric versions are far more widely used and popular.
One thing that makes the bass guitar so appealing to so many people is that there are many ways to play it. One method, called fingerstyle, involves the player using only their fingers to fret the notes on the neck and pluck the strings. Fingerstyle is a popular method mainly because of the many tones one can create using it.
Like a normal guitar, a bass guitar can also be played with a guitar pick. Any normal guitar pick can work on a bass guitar as well, and it is known to create a more percussive tone which many say is more pronounced and distinct than a bass guitar played fingerstyle.
Usage of Modern Bass Guitars
Unlike the guitar, which has great potential for harmonic and melodic uses, the bass guitar is mainly classified as a rhythmic instrument. For example, in modern rock, a genre that electric bass guitars are prevalent in, the drums and bass are often used to set up the heartbeat of the piece and drive it along. Rock bassists often simply play single notes in a uniform rhythm in order to keep the pace and harmony of the song simultaneously. In faster, heavier rock genres such as hard rock or heavy metal, bass players are often heard playing blisteringly fast sixteenth notes and using distortion and feedback just like their lead guitar playing counterparts.
Jazz is another musical genre in which the bass guitar is often heard. Jazz often uses swing rhythms, and since the bass guitar is an important part of all rhythm sections, you can often feel the bass pushing the music along. In jazz, one type of bass line is very common: the walking bass line. In walking bass lines, chord tones are played one after another, one note per beat, hitting every beat of the measure. Even though walking bass lines were first developed on upright basses before normal bass guitars were made, the walk is still used in jazz today.
Although the bass guitar may seem like an instrument that lacks versatility, looks can be deceiving. The bass guitar can be played in a variety of ways and is used to fill roles in many different musical genres.
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument which usually has four strings and is often tuned one octave lower than a regular guitar, although obviously many tuning configurations are possible. Another difference between bass guitars and regular guitars is the fact that some bass guitarists prefer to remove the frets from the necks of their instruments. This fretless variation was first used on a bass guitar, but many guitar players are now following suit. Bass guitars may be either electric or acoustic, but electric versions are far more widely used and popular.
One thing that makes the bass guitar so appealing to so many people is that there are many ways to play it. One method, called fingerstyle, involves the player using only their fingers to fret the notes on the neck and pluck the strings. Fingerstyle is a popular method mainly because of the many tones one can create using it.
Like a normal guitar, a bass guitar can also be played with a guitar pick. Any normal guitar pick can work on a bass guitar as well, and it is known to create a more percussive tone which many say is more pronounced and distinct than a bass guitar played fingerstyle.
Usage of Modern Bass Guitars
Unlike the guitar, which has great potential for harmonic and melodic uses, the bass guitar is mainly classified as a rhythmic instrument. For example, in modern rock, a genre that electric bass guitars are prevalent in, the drums and bass are often used to set up the heartbeat of the piece and drive it along. Rock bassists often simply play single notes in a uniform rhythm in order to keep the pace and harmony of the song simultaneously. In faster, heavier rock genres such as hard rock or heavy metal, bass players are often heard playing blisteringly fast sixteenth notes and using distortion and feedback just like their lead guitar playing counterparts.
Jazz is another musical genre in which the bass guitar is often heard. Jazz often uses swing rhythms, and since the bass guitar is an important part of all rhythm sections, you can often feel the bass pushing the music along. In jazz, one type of bass line is very common: the walking bass line. In walking bass lines, chord tones are played one after another, one note per beat, hitting every beat of the measure. Even though walking bass lines were first developed on upright basses before normal bass guitars were made, the walk is still used in jazz today.
Although the bass guitar may seem like an instrument that lacks versatility, looks can be deceiving. The bass guitar can be played in a variety of ways and is used to fill roles in many different musical genres.
